December 29, 2014

by James Glazebrook

There’s nothing like a Music Montag end of year playlist to make you realise just how diverse the Berlin music scene is! Bookended by classic Zoë favourites that drive home the dominance of the city’s clubbing industry, elsewhere this year’s Best of Berlin runs the gammut of genres. There’s electro pop, indie, weirdo synth explorations, progressive metal, a healthy chunk of Bowie covers… even a hilarious advertising jingle and a track from a rock opera for kids! Hope you enjoy this pick-and-mix of the most interesting music (mostly) produced in Berlin this year. Boom.

October 13, 2014

by James Glazebrook

What is it about Berlin that attracts international indie icons? Apart from Iggy and Bowie, the city’s also been home to Pavement’s Stephen Malkmus, Walter Schreifels of Quicksand and Rival Schools, J Mascis (sometimes) and, um, the bloke from Travis. Anton Newcombe, the ringleader of the confrontational and chaotic The Brian Jonestown Massacre, has also sought refuge here for the past few years, as a self-described “artist/horticulturalist/babysitter”. For today’s Music Montag, we’re screening the whole of Dig!, the Sundance Grand Prix-winning documentary about the love-hate relationship between the Massacre and their (former?) pals, the Dandy Warhols. As with many great docos, it straddles the line between fact and fiction, but it’s a sensational watch nonetheless.